Put another 100 rounds downrange this afternoon.  Had two consecutive failure to feeds (FTF) at rounds 80 and 81. Still not thrilled with plastic recoil guide, plastic backstrap.

General impressions:  Pistol seems to shoot low consistently.  Recoil of 40 S&W is minimal, due to weight of Beretta.  Much more pleasant to shoot 40s in this than my Glock 23.  Rounds were 155gr FMJ.

Trigger still a little heavy, but is smoothing up.  The FTFs surprised me a bit as my 92FS has never failed to feed once in the six years I've owned it and the several thousand rounds that have gone through it.

I never really decide whether I like or dislike a handgun until I've put at least a thousand rounds through it.  For me, it takes that long to get comfortable with sights, grip angles, actions, barrel lengths, etc.  (The sole exception was my Browning HP in 9mm.  First time I picked it up it was "Wow, we're made for each other.").  The Beretta 96FS Vertec has me underwhelmed so far.  

Sometimes it feels glass smooth, other times I can actually feel the slide traveling under recoil.  I have been potting at cans for these approximately 150 rounds; my next goal is to bench rest it and put it on paper.

Several folks have said "Harumph, .40 S&W is not an accurate round like a .45ACP" but I've always felt it was more the shooter than the round.  Any thoughts on inherent accuracy of a 9mm vs. .40 S&W vs. .45ACP, assuming similar barrel lengths and action types?  

Quoted: Still not thrilled with plastic recoil guide, plastic backstrap.

Backstrap?  You sure about that?

General impressions:  Pistol seems to shoot low consistently.

Where are you holding?  Try shooting with the front dot centered over your target.

You may want to try the heavier bullets in .40.  I personally don't own one, but have several friends that do.  Most have better luck with the 165's.

Also, give it 200 or 300 rounds to break it in.

Replacing the hammer spring with the "D" model spring is a required mod for these guns.  The Vertecs I've seen have had some awful trigger stacking in the last 1/8" or so.

Go to www.langdontactical.com to buy the "D" spring.

I've got a 96 Compact that I love.  I haven't been able to get extreme one-hole accuracy out of it, but it is plenty accurate enough to compete with.  Then again I mostly only use 160 gr. lead bullets in it.

About the 96 shooting low. I just bought a 92FS Vertec that also shoots quite low. I took it back to the local shop and the owner said he'd correct the problem for me. But has anyone else noticed this with the 92FS or the Vertec?

I've owned two 92's and they have both shot low. They are getting pretty cheap in recent years with their plastic parts and quality control.  My latest Beretta is the last one I will buy. They used to make great pistols, but I think they have gone downhill lately, as I've heard of a lot of people having issues with their new Berettas.

Thanks for the advice on the bullet weight.  I've got some 180gr lying around that I'll try just to see if there's a difference.  I wanted to used 155gr as that's the weight of my JHP I use for carry ammo.

My sight picture is holding the front dot on center mass.  

Thanks for the tip on the trigger spring as it does stack something fierce.  I've never swapped out a trigger spring.  Is it best left to a gunsmith or can someone with modest mechanical ability do this?

Finally, I'll benchrest the Beretta just to make sure yours truly is not subconciously yarding down on the pistol in anticipation of the recoil.  

Swapping out the mainspring is pretty easy.  First remove the grips.

There's a pin near the bottom of the backstrap which retains the mainspring plug.  With the mainspring plug compressed (held against a firm object), the pin can usually be easily driven out.

Release the tension on the plug and it can be removed, along with the spring.  Drop in the new spring, compress the plug, and reinsert the pin.

Quoted: I've never swapped out a trigger spring.  Is it best left to a gunsmith or can someone with modest mechanical ability do this?

If you're good enough with a screwdriver to get the grips off you should be able to handle getting the spring in and out.  Do a google search and you'll find instructions on how to do it.  Another option is to just send it to the above mentioned Ernest Landgon at www.langdontactical.com and have him do a trigger job.  He swaps the main spring with a D spring as suggested and also does some polishing and tuning.